Marvel: Trading with Worlds

"Student Fleur Dellacour? I thought you'd come back tomorrow—it's already so late tonight," Kain said as he opened the door. After seeing her standing outside, he returned to his desk, leaving the door ajar.

She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. What she was about to say might tarnish the reputation of the Dellacour family, but she had no other choice. 

Fleur had to ensure her words remained confidential.

"Professor Pent, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Fleur Dellacour, from Beauxbatons," she introduced herself, trying to sound composed.

Her hands clenched slightly. This visit was impulsive, and now that she was here, she didn't know where to begin. 

Late at night, she had overheard her parents discussing the family's looming bankruptcy. Acting on impulse, she had knocked on his door but hadn't thought through what to say.

"I know your name. The Triwizard Tournament champion. Everyone at Hogwarts knows you. But if you're unsure what to say, perhaps you should go back, write a draft, and come prepared. I'm quite busy at the moment," Kain said flatly, his words clearly dismissive.

Though it felt rude to dismiss someone right after inviting them in, Kain genuinely didn't have the time. 

Between refining alchemy items, researching unfamiliar runes, and investigating ancient magical spells, his time was precious. Listening to Fleur's fumbling introduction wasn't something he was willing to indulge.

Fleur's eyes darted to his desk, where expensive magical materials were laid out. A chunk of mithril alone—about two pounds—caught her attention. 

In the wizarding world, only goblins could craft mithril, and it was said to be worth nearly a hundred Galleons per gram of pure gold. The chunk on his desk was the size of a baby's fist.

"Professor Pent, I…"

Fleur had just gathered enough courage to speak when the sound of a cat scratching at the office door interrupted her. Soft, delicate meows followed.

The noise startled her, and whatever courage she'd built up vanished. Meanwhile, Kain stood up, leaving his desk to open the door. "Why is this black cat here tonight…?" he murmured.

The black cat darted inside, inspecting the room before meowing at Kain. Noticing the absence of its usual cushion, it stared at him expectantly.

Kain sighed and transformed a cushion for the cat, which promptly curled up on it. Despite settling down, the cat kept its eyes half-open, occasionally glancing at the other two people in the room.

'Just a black cat', Fleur thought, feeling a small sense of relief.

Realizing Kain was still keen on sending her away, she forced herself to speak again. "Professor Pent, I came to ask if you could help the Dellacour family…"

"I refuse," Kain interrupted sharply. "All reparations will proceed according to the magical contract. I have no interest in interfering beyond that. The Dellacour family must also compensate the potion materials shop accordingly."

Turning his chair to face her, he continued, "If you refuse to pay what's owed, how can the Kain Potion Ingredients Shop operate without being taken advantage of?"

"Dellacour, if your family's actions hadn't been discovered, wouldn't they have reaped even more benefits? They wanted all the rewards without taking any risks—what's the point of that?"

Kain's words made Fleur anxious. She felt his reasoning was valid, yet her parents were the ones struggling and suffering. 

As their daughter, all she could do was plead with Kain Pent, the owner of the largest potion materials store in Europe.

"I understand. My parents may have made a mistake," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "But, Professor Pent, I hope you can give them another chance."

Her hands clenched the slim fabric of her dress tightly, her body language betraying her unease. The gesture, combined with her natural beauty, made her look particularly enchanting. 

As a quarter-Veela, Fleur exuded an irresistible charm, one that often made others yield to her requests when she appeared vulnerable.

However, Kain was unaffected. His response was firm. "Impossible. Instead of coming to me, why don't you persuade your parents to sell off some of the treasures in your home before this news spreads further? That might give them a chance to recover in the future."

"Professor Pent…"

"If you have nothing else to say, go back and rest. Focus on preparing for the next Triwizard Tournament," he said curtly, clearly signaling the conversation was over.

Kain didn't have the time or inclination to entertain Fleur's pleas any longer. With a firm but polite gesture, he ushered her out of his office.

After she left, Kain turned to the black cat lounging on the cushion. "What a troublesome woman, wouldn't you agree?"

He scratched the cat under its chin, eliciting a satisfied purr. Amused, he recalled another way to comfort cats and decided to try patting it on the rear.

But after a few pats, the black cat meowed angrily and swiped a paw at him. Kain narrowly avoided getting scratched.

"Well, lesson learned. Some cats don't like their butts touched," he muttered, withdrawing his hand.

He stared at the feline, shaking his head. "You're a tricky one. I wonder who your master is."

Setting the cat aside, Kain refocused on his alchemy project. This time, he was crafting a pair of magical earrings designed to defend against soul-based attacks. 

The smaller the magical item, the more difficult it was to balance the runes inscribed on it. He also had to carefully consider the fusion of magical materials.

Following notes left by Nicolas Flamel, Kain treated this new creation with the same meticulous care as if it were his first time, even though he'd made similar earrings before. 

Using memory magic like Occlumency as the foundation, he planned to integrate ancient runes into the earrings.

….

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